Rolly: Mormons stand off against the narcs

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Daryl Zadock Budd (who goes by Zadock) is a faithful Mormon known for his cheerful spirit and good sense of humor, not to mention his colorful writing style.

When he shared a gospel-spreading experience he had several years ago, the story spread on the Internet until it found its way to me in an email from a reader. I contacted Budd, who confirmed his humorous tale is true.

It's too good not to pass along.

Budd and the elders quorum president in his Clearfield LDS ward were home teaching to lapsed members when they came upon a home containing a member more lapsed than they could have imagined.

They were welcomed into the woman's apartment, which she shared with a boyfriend.

"As we were preparing to say the closing prayer at the conclusion of our visit, we heard someone pounding on the door and yelling, 'It's the police! Open the door!' I thought, 'Oh, that old joke.' Then there was more pounding," Budd wrote.

Before the boyfriend could open the door, it flew open and 10 armed men wearing Kevlar vests bearing the word POLICE swarmed in, ordering everyone to the floor.

Budd wrote: "I thought to myself, 'This is going to make a great story.' "

As Budd lay face down on the carpet, the elders quorum president stood up from where he was sitting on the couch, thinking he could explain why he and Budd were there.

"The kind officers [who were spouting language the two LDS home teachers were not used to hearing] did not seem to like this action and one very large officer stepped toward Budd's companion, who then found himself looking directly into the muzzle of the gun with a bright light shining in his eyes. The officer placed his finger over the trigger and shouted, 'I said get on the ground!' "

The portly elders quorum president quickly complied, but to Budd's chagrin, there wasn't enough room between the couch and coffee table, so he landed on Budd.

"I never thought I would need to 'support the president' like that," Budd continued. "I assure you, I really felt the weight of my calling."

While they were on the floor, the cops, who were part of a narcotics task force, continued to shout orders and threats. "The humor of the whole situation hit me full force and I started laughing," wrote Budd.

They were handcuffed and searched for weapons, not including their scriptures.

The elders quorum president finally blurted in one breath that they were home teachers from the LDS ward, causing the officers to look at one another in puzzlement. They asked for church ID and were quickly shown temple recommends.

"I knew that my temple recommend could help me get into the Lord's house," Budd wrote, "but I never dreamed it could help me avoid going to the Big House."

Alas, they couldn't save the couple they had gone to enlighten. "The lost sheep we were hoping to bring back to the fold sadly ended up going to a different pen."